Setting Students Up to be Successful
Every student should have the opportunity to "shine" (and know it) at least once a day. Students who struggle with academic skills often do not volunteer answers in class for fear of failure and/or embarrassment.
Teachers may "set that student up to be successful". Prior to a class lesson, discussion, or review, speak privately with the student and prompt him/her regarding the lesson you will be covering. Let the student know that you will be calling on him/her and reveal the specific question you will pose. This prior awareness gives the student the opportunity to find the answer needed ahead of time and to be prepared to answer correctly when called upon. (If the student has special difficulty in locating answers or if time is limited, you may need to actually provide the student with the answer. Chances are that he/she will always remember it because you gave it importance and it is a tool for his/her success). The student may write the answer down in someplace where it will be easily visible when he/she is called upon, if necessary. When the lesson begins, call upon a few classmates before calling on the target student. After calling on the target student, give appropriate, but not especially obvious, praise before moving on to other classmates. It may take hours, days or weeks before the student realizes how much you personally care about him/her and his/her success. You proved that subtly by setting him/her up to succeed in front of classmates and making him/her "shine". Chances are good that the student will be better invested in class lessons in the future because you are BOTH interested in his/her success.
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